Companionship Is Ultimately Needed To Take the Steps of Overcoming The Forces Of Evil
Throughout this book, a conflict of "Good Verses Evil" tends to show up in multiple scenes. Especially in the chapters from seventeen through twenty, the idea of companionship and working together as a whole seems to "pop" up very often. As the protagonists of the book have discovered, they would need to rely on each other in order to defeat the common enemy or the so-called Dracula. As Mina had stated to Seward in Chapter seventeen, "We need have no secrets amongst us; working together and with absolute trust, we can surely be stronger than if some of us were in the dark" (Stoker 197). Surely, as they have shown throughout the book, the protagonists have greater power and confidence in their actions when they are together than when they are alone. As Lord Godalming, Mr Morris, Dr Seward, Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, and Mina Harker gather together, they decide on one action, to kill Dracula. They notice Dracula being powerful as twenty men, and also having supernatural powers of no human when Van Helsing describes Vampires to them in chapter nineteen.In chapter eighteen, they truly become companions of each other in Mina Harker's Diary, "The Professor stood up and, after laying his golden crucifix on the table, held out his hand on either side. I took his right hand, and Lord Godalming his left; Jonathan held my right with his left and stretched across to Mr. Morris..." (Stoker 210). As they worked together, by reading each other's diaries and keeping track of the important events, the protagonists were finally able to realize the situation at hand with the boxes that were shipped to Carfax. By companionship and working together, they were finally able to get to finding the boxes which were shipped to Carfax, or the location of Dracula's new home. Because of their friendship were they finally able to figure plans of Dracula's weaknesses and strengths, by the collection of information from the diaries, and also steps that they would need to take to weaken Dracula's overwhelming power. As many people say, together is better than one when fighting for a common cause. Since they were able to stick together throughout the section, they weren't able to notice Dracula committing his evil deeds to any of them.From this section of the book, the protagonists were able to work together very efficiently to take the certain steps where they are able to make plans for the killing of Dracula.
Critical Passage
"Send me away how you will and where you will; send keepers with me with whips and chains; let them take me in a strait-waistcoat, manacled and leg-ironed, even to a gaol; but let me go out of this.. You don't know what you do by keeping me here. I am speaking from the depths of my heart-of my soul....By you hold sacred- by all you hold dear- by your love that is lost- by your hope that lives- for the sake of the Almighty, take me out of this and save my soul from guilt!.. Oh, hear me! hear me ! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" (Stoker 218)
This passage is unlike any other that is said by Renfield. While he was thought as a lunatic and one of the most dangerous patients that Dr. Seward believed, he suddenly seems more like a human needing help for his life. All of a sudden, Renfield acts calm and wants to get out of the asylum stating that he is now a sane man. While many people would think that it is a plan by a lunatic to get out of the asylum by tricking Dr. Seward, many of the protagonists believed that Renfield was actually telling the truth with sincerity. This helps notice the fact that Renfield had changed greatly beyond what Dr. Seward or anyone else would have expected. While Renfield was noticed as a servant of Dracula, this passage is significant in the way that it shows change that maybe because Renfield is no longer in the powers under Dracula. The seriousness in the tone of Renfield also foreshadow a terrible event that is to come for him and most likely death by Dracula. This passage shows that there are more critical events to occur in the near future with the rise of Dracula's power and the changing of Renfield's personality.
Literary Device
Allusion
"For, let me tell you, he is known everywhere that men have been. In old Greece, in old Rome; he flourish in Germany all over, in France, in India, even in the Chersonese; and in China, so far from us in all ways, there even is he, and the poeple fear him at this day. He have fllow the wake of the berserker Icelander, the devil-begotten Hun, the Slav, the Saxon, the Magyar" (Stoker 211)
Bram Stoker, the words said by Van Helsing, would most likely been intended for the readers to get the feeling of how long Dracula has been on the planet. By saying each area instead of saying "all over the world," Stoker was able to help the reader comprehend the vast history and area that Dracula has been living in. It shows how much knowledge the vampire may have on history and the course of events in human history.
Allusion
"'In manus tuas, Domine!' he said, crossing himself as he passed over the threshold"
Bram Stoker was probably trying to relate Van Helsing's words with those that Jesus said on the cross and try to show the resemblance between the two. They were both leaders among their groups of people and also had the greatest amount of knowledge on what they were trying to achieve. Stoker might have also written the Latin phrase in order to show that it may be the last of Van Helsing and his companions as they are going into Dracula's house, which was very similar to the path of Jesus on the cross.
Reflection
After your presentation, reflect on what you learned, the pros and cons of the activity, and what you could do to improve in the future. (Write about a paragraph and post it to your block wiki page.)
From the presentation, I learned many new ideas which were discussed by the classmates. The activity was pretty good in general, but if there were "easier" questions and a prize for the winner, I believe that people would have discussed with much more enthusiasm. The debate sometimes had pauses where the classmates didn't know what the question really meant. If there was a way for the students to be more enthusiastic in our debate, I believe that the debate would have been much better. Even though the debate wasn't effective for more than five minutes, my group's presentation was with much more participation from the classmates than many other groups that presented before. In the future, I wish to plan and try out the actual debate with my other group partners before letting the class debate on the topics. Also, if I plan a debate again, I would wish to create much simpler questions so that the debates may last longer.
Chapters 17-20 DK
Theme
Companionship Is Ultimately Needed To Take the Steps of Overcoming The Forces Of EvilThroughout this book, a conflict of "Good Verses Evil" tends to show up in multiple scenes. Especially in the chapters from seventeen through twenty, the idea of companionship and working together as a whole seems to "pop" up very often. As the protagonists of the book have discovered, they would need to rely on each other in order to defeat the common enemy or the so-called Dracula. As Mina had stated to Seward in Chapter seventeen, "We need have no secrets amongst us; working together and with absolute trust, we can surely be stronger than if some of us were in the dark" (Stoker 197). Surely, as they have shown throughout the book, the protagonists have greater power and confidence in their actions when they are together than when they are alone. As Lord Godalming, Mr Morris, Dr Seward, Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker, and Mina Harker gather together, they decide on one action, to kill Dracula. They notice Dracula being powerful as twenty men, and also having supernatural powers of no human when Van Helsing describes Vampires to them in chapter nineteen.In chapter eighteen, they truly become companions of each other in Mina Harker's Diary, "The Professor stood up and, after laying his golden crucifix on the table, held out his hand on either side. I took his right hand, and Lord Godalming his left; Jonathan held my right with his left and stretched across to Mr. Morris..." (Stoker 210). As they worked together, by reading each other's diaries and keeping track of the important events, the protagonists were finally able to realize the situation at hand with the boxes that were shipped to Carfax. By companionship and working together, they were finally able to get to finding the boxes which were shipped to Carfax, or the location of Dracula's new home. Because of their friendship were they finally able to figure plans of Dracula's weaknesses and strengths, by the collection of information from the diaries, and also steps that they would need to take to weaken Dracula's overwhelming power. As many people say, together is better than one when fighting for a common cause. Since they were able to stick together throughout the section, they weren't able to notice Dracula committing his evil deeds to any of them.From this section of the book, the protagonists were able to work together very efficiently to take the certain steps where they are able to make plans for the killing of Dracula.
Critical Passage
"Send me away how you will and where you will; send keepers with me with whips and chains; let them take me in a strait-waistcoat, manacled and leg-ironed, even to a gaol; but let me go out of this.. You don't know what you do by keeping me here. I am speaking from the depths of my heart-of my soul....By you hold sacred- by all you hold dear- by your love that is lost- by your hope that lives- for the sake of the Almighty, take me out of this and save my soul from guilt!.. Oh, hear me! hear me ! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" (Stoker 218)This passage is unlike any other that is said by Renfield. While he was thought as a lunatic and one of the most dangerous patients that Dr. Seward believed, he suddenly seems more like a human needing help for his life. All of a sudden, Renfield acts calm and wants to get out of the asylum stating that he is now a sane man. While many people would think that it is a plan by a lunatic to get out of the asylum by tricking Dr. Seward, many of the protagonists believed that Renfield was actually telling the truth with sincerity. This helps notice the fact that Renfield had changed greatly beyond what Dr. Seward or anyone else would have expected. While Renfield was noticed as a servant of Dracula, this passage is significant in the way that it shows change that maybe because Renfield is no longer in the powers under Dracula. The seriousness in the tone of Renfield also foreshadow a terrible event that is to come for him and most likely death by Dracula. This passage shows that there are more critical events to occur in the near future with the rise of Dracula's power and the changing of Renfield's personality.
Literary Device
Allusion
"For, let me tell you, he is known everywhere that men have been. In old Greece, in old Rome; he flourish in Germany all over, in France, in India, even in the Chersonese; and in China, so far from us in all ways, there even is he, and the poeple fear him at this day. He have fllow the wake of the berserker Icelander, the devil-begotten Hun, the Slav, the Saxon, the Magyar" (Stoker 211)
Bram Stoker, the words said by Van Helsing, would most likely been intended for the readers to get the feeling of how long Dracula has been on the planet. By saying each area instead of saying "all over the world," Stoker was able to help the reader comprehend the vast history and area that Dracula has been living in. It shows how much knowledge the vampire may have on history and the course of events in human history.
Allusion
"'In manus tuas, Domine!' he said, crossing himself as he passed over the threshold"
Bram Stoker was probably trying to relate Van Helsing's words with those that Jesus said on the cross and try to show the resemblance between the two. They were both leaders among their groups of people and also had the greatest amount of knowledge on what they were trying to achieve. Stoker might have also written the Latin phrase in order to show that it may be the last of Van Helsing and his companions as they are going into Dracula's house, which was very similar to the path of Jesus on the cross.
Reflection
After your presentation, reflect on what you learned, the pros and cons of the activity, and what you could do to improve in the future. (Write about a paragraph and post it to your block wiki page.)
From the presentation, I learned many new ideas which were discussed by the classmates. The activity was pretty good in general, but if there were "easier" questions and a prize for the winner, I believe that people would have discussed with much more enthusiasm. The debate sometimes had pauses where the classmates didn't know what the question really meant. If there was a way for the students to be more enthusiastic in our debate, I believe that the debate would have been much better. Even though the debate wasn't effective for more than five minutes, my group's presentation was with much more participation from the classmates than many other groups that presented before. In the future, I wish to plan and try out the actual debate with my other group partners before letting the class debate on the topics. Also, if I plan a debate again, I would wish to create much simpler questions so that the debates may last longer.